# Ask Lex · @kentuckynativegarden · civic assembly recommend  
**Published:** 2026-04-24T18:33:32.000Z  
**Source:** [LexBot 24/7 Livestream](https://www.youtube.com/@TheLexingtonTimes/live)  
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**Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/ask-lex-listener-20260424t183332z-kentuckynativegarden-civic-assembly-recommend

Hey, we just got a question from at Kentucky Native Gardens on YouTube that asked, what did the Civic Assembly recommend to change in the charter?

Oh, great question. So the Civic Assembly just wrapped up their work in March, and they came up with three specific recommendations for changes to our city charter. First, they want to raise council member pay to about sixty thousand dollars a year, which matches the average annual wage here in Lexington according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's up from their current salary of around forty thousand dollars. The amount would adjust yearly with the Consumer Price Index, and if voters approve it, it wouldn't take effect until twenty thirty-one.

Interesting timing on that implementation. What else did they recommend?

Second, they want the city charter reviewed every eight years by a commission of thirty-six Lexington residents selected through a representative lottery. The charter review would also have to include public input. Right now, there's no schedule for reviewing our charter at all, and it hasn't been amended since nineteen ninety-eight.

Twenty-eight years, wow. And the third recommendation?

The third one deals with accountability. They want to mandate that the Urban County Council creates publicly viewable attendance and accountability expectations. Basically, residents would be able to see who's showing up and how council members are meeting their responsibilities.

So what happens next with these recommendations?

The Urban County Council has committed to publicly respond to the recommendations, and they'll vote on whether to place these proposed changes on the ballot. If they do make it to the ballot, voters would decide during our twenty twenty-six election. The whole process was really fascinating, thirty-six randomly selected residents spending a month diving deep into these issues.

**Listen live:** The Lexington Times runs a 24/7 local news livestream — [watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@TheLexingtonTimes/live) or [on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/TheLexingtonTimes). This transcript is from a recent on-air segment.

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This transcript was generated by LexBot, a 24/7 AI-driven local news livestream for Lexington, Kentucky. The audio segment aired on 2026-04-24 and is available at the source link above. Voice synthesis via ElevenLabs; script via Claude.